This invention relates to an exposure control selector dial assembly for a camera that is operable in either an automatic exposure control mode or a manual mode in which the photographer preselects a desired exposure.
It is known to provide a camera with exposure control mechanisms that are settable to operate in either AUTO or MANUAL modes. When set in the AUTO mode, the photographer does not need to make any decision as to what combination of f stop and shutter speed is appropriate under prevailing lighting conditions. When set in MANUAL, the photographer can select a desired exposure on his own. Under certain kinds of lighting conditions, as where the subject is backlighted, it is advisable for the photographer to select a shutter speed manually. However, more typically, photographers tend to use the AUTO mode.
To enable the photographer to switch between these modes, a selector dial assembly is provided. One of the difficulties encountered with the prior art arrangements is as follows. Occasionally, the selector dial is inadvertently rotated from the AUTO setting to one of the manual settings, and the photographer is unaware of this when he takes a picture. In all likelihood, the resulting photograph will then be improperly exposed. No satisfactory means which is operative to eliminate this problem with certainty has been proposed heretofore.